Test of love: sequel to The voice within
by She Elf of Hidden Lore
Summary: Many people give much of their lives to prove their physical strength, their abilities, their power. But no test is bigger or harder than the test of love. How much are you willing to give to be with the one love? Legolas will have to prove this in ways he never imagined and he will learn what true sacrifice means. Follow this new adventure through new places outside of M.E
1. Chapter 1: Manwë

**Hello again to those of you who are back for the sequel and to those who are new as well. This sequel was on my mind for a very long time before I sat down to write it. I hope it makes justice to 'The voice within' . Thanks again to all who ever read my other story. Gracias!**

**Special thanks to my Beta reader**Phoenixica24!

Chapter 1: Manwë

It had been almost three years since Legolas and Juliet married. The couple lived in Ithilien in their house in the forest. They had been years of pure love and joy for the couple. Juliet looked more beautiful in Legolas's eyes each passing day. It was Summer and the forest was alive as ever. Juliet loved to live in this forest. It was quiet, beautiful, with abundant nature and just an air of fairy tale in it. Some of the elves that Legolas had brought to Ithilien from Mirkwood had also made their houses in these woods, but Legolas had marked a great deal of terrain for him and his wife so that they would never be interrupted.

The day was hot and even as an elf, Juliet could feel the heat of it so she had decided to bathe in the waterfall next to her house. She pitied the humans who must have been dying for an air conditioner. She giggled to herself, remembering that there were no such things in this world. She took off her clothes, not worrying since she knew no one was ever near the house as Legolas had asked. She dived in deep to reach the bottom of the river. There were a few water plants and fish, but other than that the bottom was filled with many small and smooth rocks. She stayed under for a long while. When her lungs asked for air she resurfaced. A smile snaked across her face when she saw her beloved husband crouched barefoot, which was normal for elves, at the riverbank.

"I thought you had drowned." he teased in elvish.

"And still you did not come to my rescue?" she asked in mock shock, in elvish as well.

"I did not wish to get wet."

Juliet crossed her arms over her bare chest.

"Is that how much you love me then, that you would let me drown because you would rather not get wet?"

Legolas smiled roguishly before standing up and jumping into the water. Juliet had to cover herself to avoid being over washed by the wave and this gave Legolas the chance to sneak up on her. Juliet yelped when two strong arms wrapped around her body and pressed her against a strong chest. Soft lips came to brush her ears as a voice whispered into her ear making her shiver.

"Nay, for you my love, I would swim in the deepest ocean, walk through fire, and face the wrath of a volcano and the whole world if it meant to save you."

Juliet turned to face her beloved husband with loving eyes. She captured his lips in a deep kiss which he eagerly returned. After a while of kissing they broke apart.

"My love, I was thinking we should visit Aragorn in Minas Tirith. It has been almost two months since we ride to the White City."

"Oh yes, that would be lovely. When would we leave?"

"I was thinking tomorrow."

Juliet smiled playfully. "Good, then we still have time for this."

Juliet recaptured Legolas's lips in hers and Legolas smiled into the kiss knowing well what his wife wanted and he was more than willing to give. Her hands went to the helm of his shirt which she pulled off him quickly. If the weather was hot, it was about to get even hotter for the couple.

The next day they left to Minas Tirith and soon enough they were approaching the White City. The tower guards had seen them coming from afar and sent word so that the Gates would be open for them. Legolas and Juliet rode in and did not stop until they were at the top of the City. As they dismounted they heard a familiar merry laughter. They turned to see Aragorn approaching them with a wide smile.

"Mae g'ovannen mellyn. N'uir thiad gîn 'ell." (Well met my friends. Ever is your presence a joy.)

"Aragorn!" exclaimed Juliet as she ran to hug her beloved 'brother'.

Then Legolas did the same.

"It has been a while since you left the woods my friends. I think you like it too much there."

"I am sorry Aragorn, but we had a little mix up with the last wine delivery and it took us almost two weeks to fix it."

"Well, I am glad that you are finally here. Come, it is unbearably hot outside and even if you elves do not suffer heat as we mortals do, I am sure that the temperatures are high enough for you to feel as well."

"Aye, the heat in Gondor is something that I had never felt before. Its closeness to the sea makes the temperatures hotter than in the inlands." Legolas replied.

They followed Aragorn inside. It was considerably cooler, but it was still hot for the poor humans. Juliet saw a woman fanning herself desperately. She bit her lip to avoid laughing. Aragorn noticed her behavior and smiled.

"Is something the matter?"

Juliet smiled at him. "I just remember how that used to be me. Everything is just so different as an elf. I must admit that I do not miss that aspect of my old life."

"I am sure you do not." he teased.

"You are here!" exclaimed a familiar female voice from behind.

They all turned to see Arwen who was smiling widely as she walked their way. Juliet was the first to run and hug her beloved friend.

"I'm so happy to see you!" she said while almost squishing the Evenstar who merely laughed.

"I am happy to see you as well my friend."

Legolas reached the two women and hugged Arwen. "I am happy to see you are alright Arwen. I was afraid that your husband had driven you mad by now and you had made an escape as the twins and I did once we spent too much time with him."

Legolas dodged Aragorn's fist before it could make contact with him.

"And now I wish you would have stayed in your forest." Aragorn said with mock seriousness.

"We will leave you two to settle your differences alone for a while." Arwen said as she led Juliet away by the arm.

"Why do women always have to leave to talk between themselves? Cannot they stay and have a conversation if men are around?" Aragorn asked with a true puzzled expression.

"They always do that, do they not? Every time Éowyn appears by the woods, Juliet will disappear with her for hours and Faramir and I are left to wait until they return."

"Women, we will never understand them wholly."

"I do not think we should even try. I am afraid of what we may discover."

"True that my friend." laughed Aragorn.

Both man and elf left to a more private space so they could talk.

Legolas entered the room that belonged to him and Juliet in the Palace. He smiled when he saw his wife already in her nightgown just sitting on the bed with a book on her hands. She raised her eyes from the book and smiled at her husband.

"How long have you been waiting for me?"

"Not too long. I took a bath and read a few dozen pages."

"I am sorry. Aragorn wanted to show me the new gardens and I did not realize the time. I will bathe quickly and I will be with you soon."

Juliet smiled and nodded. Legolas left to the bathroom and half an hour later he was out, his hair almost dry and his chest bare. He climbed into the bed beside Juliet and wrapped his arms around her. Juliet blew out the candle and they were soon off in the world of dreams.

Halfway through the night a strong wind entered the room, waking up the couple.

"Legolas did we leave the window to the North open?" Juliet asked without opening her eyes. Even now as an elf she would sleep with her eyes closed since she had done so for most of her life, and her half human blood allowed her to do so as well.

Legolas lifted his head and looked to the front of the room. The doors to the balcony were wide open. Legolas narrowed his eyes. Juliet felt his concern and opened her eyes. She looked at the direction of the balcony. They exchanged looks and both got down from the bed, took their weapons and silently walked to the balcony. When they were out they were greatly surprised at what they saw. A figure of ethereal beauty with long dark hair and blue eyes that glowed in the night darkness stood there tall and strong. Juliet gave Legolas a questioning look. Legolas seemed to know more about who this person was, judging by the look on his face.

"Peace, Prince Legolas and Princess Juliet. I am Manwë Súlimo, King of the Valar." said the figure in elvish.

Juliet looked at Legolas, waiting to see what the reaction to this occasion should be. Legolas bowed while putting his hand over his heart and Juliet did the same.

"Lord Manwë, it is an honor. To what do we own this visit?"

Manwë looked at them in silence for a while. As he did this both elves waited patiently for his answer.

"Prince Legolas and Princess Juliet, you have become a couple for history to remember for many reasons. One of them is because Juliet was once a human. Besides you, there have been three other pairings of human and elves who married; Beren and Luthien, Idril and Tuor, and Aragorn and Arwen. Every time one of these couples was made, they went through a test that I placed for them. This I do because in every one of these occasion mainly one of them has to make a big sacrifice for the other. Beren had already completed his test, which had been set by Luthien's father, who was directed by me because Luthien was of a much higher status than Beren. When it came to Idril and Tuor, they too went through a test of a different nature because in this case Idril never abandoned her mortality. With Aragorn and Arwen the one who sacrificed was mainly Arwen because she had to give up her immortality and her whole race and family. Aragorn was the one who was tested mainly after they were wed. This test happens at an alternate time and space without this world ever coming to know that anything ever happened."

The looks on Legolas and Juliet told Manwë that they did not understand.

"Legolas, Juliet made the large sacrifice to abandon her world, her family and entire life to be with you. I had thought of not testing you because at the end Juliet was an elf. But Legolas, you once failed Juliet by turning down her sacrifice when she was given the choice. The choice was hers but you sent her away. It was only by her will to love you that you are now together. That is why I have decided that you too will go through this test."

Legolas thought of his words for a moment, and then nodded.

"Alright Lord Manwë, what is this test that I must pass?"

"Your test will be based on the same nature the test of Aragorn and Arwen's test was. Legolas, you will prove to me that you are worthy of being with Juliet by living as a human. If Juliet gave up her life, would you have given up your immortality and life to be with her?" It was a rhetorical question and that is why he did not answer. "The test I have for you will be taken along side Juliet. She has been a human most of her life and knows the hardships they experience. I will send you to the human world but not in this modern world you know, Juliet. I will send you to a time where you will have to work much harder, where life is not so easy. There you will live for as long as I deem right. Legolas, you will live with most of your elven gift diminished or without them at all. Your resistance to tiredness will be at a human level. Since you are already a strong elf you will keep the strength that a strong human would have. You will need to eat as a human does and rest as a human. You will feel like a human feels. Time will be as slow as a human feels it. All of this and more will be part of the things you will experience as long as this test lasts. Now, if you ever feel like you cannot continue I will end the test, but Juliet will be parted from you forever."

Legolas narrowed his eyes. "I will never abandon my beloved. I would face all the hardships of this or any world for her."

"Then let us begin."

A bright light consumed them all and for a moment everything was still.


	2. Chapter 2: So it begins

**I am so sorry that it took so long since the last update but I have been up and down with college stuff and I've had no time for anything.**

**Special thanks to Phonexica24 for being my Beta reader and to Glory Bee, monkeepeanut and Bluebird Hale for being my first readers and reviewers. Thanks for the support guys!**

**Chapter 2: So it begins**

The light dimmed and Legolas and Juliet were able to opened their eyes and saw that they were in a forest. It was strange for them. The trees were not very tall but they were very thick. They looked down at themselves to find that they were dressed in new traveling clothes. Juliet looked at Legolas and saw that his elven glow was gone. He was still beautiful but he looked now like a human. Legolas too realized that Juliet had lost her elven glow and looked like the first time he had encountered her in Lorien.

"Welcome to Wilton, England." said Manwë's voice from the air.

"Wilton…Wiltshire." said Juliet in a thoughtful voice.

"You know where we are?" Legolas asked.

"In a way. I had to read a lot of England's history for a school project. Wilton is the old name of Wiltshire. What year is this?"

"It is 1150."

"Medieval times huh? Figures too."

"Here you will settle. Since you cannot just start a life with nothing, here." he said handing Juliet a bag of coins.

"You have a total worth of eight silver pieces. It will help you start your life. Juliet understands more about customs and economy here so she will be the one to lead you. I have also allowed you to keep your weapons. It will help you with hunting and if ever you need to defend yourselves. The rest you will have to get by yourselves. Beware, this test will last long. You must adjust to living as humans for a long time."

At that moment Manwë disappeared. The couple was silent for a moment. Right in front of them they saw their weapons lying against a tree.

"Where to now my love?"

"Well, if I remember correctly then there should be a village somewhere near here."

She narrowed her eyes to look around then chuckled.

"I can see that my elf sight is gone. I had forgotten what it felt to only see so little."

Legolas too looked around but he did not find it as amusing as Juliet to realize his sight was cut so short. He narrowed his eyes, displeased by the new discovery.

"We will just have to walk until we find someone." she said calmly when she noticed Legolas' demeanor.

Legolas sensed the tone behind her voice and smiled.

"Yes, let us just try to find civilization."

Juliet smiled and Legolas took her hand. They walked just for a while before they came to the edge of the forest and to the foot of a hill which lead to a valley where a village rested.

"Looks like this is it." he said as he gazed upon the little village. "Shall we?"

With that they climbed down the hill. Even if they did not have elven balance by their side, their bodies were already strong and balanced enough to make the trip down easy. They reached the end of the hill and looked around. They walked among the small houses. Most of the people outside were women who were peeling potatoes or working on wheat, rye and barley. Juliet knew this was because most of the men were out in the fields. They continued walking until a man came to meet them.

"Greetings. May I ask who you are and what is it that you want?"

The man was friendly yet cautious. He looked to be in his late thirties and he looked strong both in body and mind.

Juliet looked at Legolas signaling him to speak.

"We are looking for a place to start a life and we had hoped that we could do so here."

The man studied the two visitors. They were very fair of face and graceful at poise. Their clothing was not the poorest but it was good enough to survive long travels.

"Are you travelers?"

"Yes we are."

When Legolas explained no further, the man decided not to pry.

"Can I know your names?"

"I am Legolas and this is my wife Juliet."

"I have never heard such names. You must be from very far off land."

"We are."

"Well then Legolas, feel welcomed at my humble village. I am Henry, the leader of the village. I have just a few houses which are not taken. How much can you offer?"

Legolas looked at Juliet. This was her cue.

"We have not much, but any roof over our heads will do."

The man thought for a moment.

"I have a two room house that you may be interested in. There are also two more houses that have three rooms but the price is higher. Follow me and I will show them to you."

The man led them to one of the houses. The first one was a three room house. For Juliet this was expected since she knew how houses were at this time, but for Legolas this was bewildering to see such small houses. Then he led them to the two room house.

"How much do they cost?" Juliet asked after seeing all three houses.

"The three room ones are two and a half silver pieces a month. The two room house is a silver piece and a half."

Juliet looked up at Legolas. He looked at her for a moment understanding what she meant.

"We will take the two room house." Legolas said in a calm voice, yet Juliet knew that it was already costing him.

Juliet pulled out a silver piece and handed it to him.

"I suppose that if you will be living here, you will work here as well. Are you handy with anything?" he asked Legolas.

"I can do anything you ask of me." he stated gently.

"You can work on the fields for now. You look like a strong man so if there is need of construction work you will be called."

Legolas almost cringed when he was called 'man'.

"I am fine with that."

"And your wife can work with the women preparing the crops, making bread and retrieving water."

Juliet simply nodded.

"Then it is settled. You may start working tomorrow morning. For now you may look around the village and buy anything you need."

The man left them to themselves. Legolas looked down at his wife and smiled reassuringly. She kissed his cheek and they walked to their new house. It was very small. The first room was the largest being about ten feet wide and eleven feet long, and the next room was eight feet wide and nine feet long and it had a small rock stove on the corner with just one cooking pot and a large jar. This was their whole house. Legolas placed his weapons on the floor and for a while he observed the house.

"Love, we need to buy food."

Legolas turned to his wife and nodded. They left the small house and went around the small village. They bought some wheat, flower, oil, fruits that came from the forest, and a few potatoes. They also needed to buy at least one blanket because now they would not resist the cold as they used to and some candles since their eyes could no longer penetrate the dark. And finally they needed to buy a bathing tub since there was no other way for them to bathe. In total they used two silver coins. Then they went up to the fields. It was a long way from the village. They needed to go up a hill to get to the vast fields. Legolas looked upon what his future would be. Men were working hard on the soil. Some were clearing away the sweat from their brows. Some were young and agile, others were older and slower. All looked mostly content with what they had to do in life. If they can do it, if they can be content, then so can I. Legolas thought trying to reassure himself. But in truth he was afraid of what this new life would be. He had always been an elf, far above the race of men; tireless, stronger, more agile, faster, everything that cost men he could do as a child. And he was a prince. He was respected among men and elves, but now he was beneath the orders of a common man. This tickled his pride and he did not like it. But he would do it all for Juliet. He could not bear to think of a life without her.

Night came and Legolas and Juliet were preparing to sleep. Juliet was counting the money they had left.

"We used a silver coin and a half for this month's rental of the house. Also two silver pieces for the food and other supplies. That leaves us with four and a half silver coins. We need to ensure next month's piece and if possibly the other's as well. That would leave us with two silver pieces for the food and other things we may need."

"You seem to have this all under control." he said as he wrapped his arms around his wife.

They stayed like that for some time until Juliet broke the silence.

"I am sorry that this happened. I do not believe you need to prove your love for me. I never intended to pull you into this mess."

"Hush, you need not apologize for anything my love. Manwë is right; I once failed you greatly. It is only fair that I prove that I never meant it when I said I would not love you. What I find unfair is that you would have to share the test with me. You already did enough."

"I do not care where or how we are living. I just care that I am with you. I would have taken the test with you if asked. I would not just wait for you to return for as long as Manwë decided to make me wait."

"I truly love you, you know that?" he said in a playful yet deep tone as he kissed the side of her head. "I am so lucky to have you as my own. I do not care either where or how we live, as long as I am with you it does not matter.

The next day they awoke with the sun. Henry was waiting for Legolas to give him his tools and take him to the fields to teach him what he needed to know. Juliet was out early as well and a woman was waiting for her outside.

"You are Juliet right?" asked the woman with a non-caring attitude.

"Yes I am."

"I am Rose. Come along, there is much work to be done."

Rose led Juliet to her work area. She was to separate the grain of wheat from the stem for that day. Midday came and they had an hour break for lunch. Juliet cleaned the stems from her skirt and returned to the house to prepare lunch quickly. She had to ask a neighbor for some water and she would return it in the evening. She lit the fire and peeled two potatoes to boil them. As she was cutting the potatoes she was slightly startled when two strong arms wrapped around her waist.

"You nearly made me tip the pot." She said once she recovered from the slight shock.

"I am sorry." he chuckled. In a way he liked to have caught her by surprise. It rarely happened when she was an elf.

"How was your day?" she asked as she continued cutting while Legolas kept his arms around her.

"Not bad. I met some people and learned a little about life here. There is wild life up in the forest. There we could hunt. We can either sell the meat or keep it. I think the last one will suit us better since meat is so expensive for us to buy."

"That sounds good, else we would be stuck eating potatoes and bread for a long time."

Legolas chuckled. "How about you? How was your day?"

In truth she had not spoken to anyone that day. The women seemed too absorbed in their work to notice her or just didn't care to talk to her.

"It was quiet. I will need to get extra water from the river this evening since I had to borrow some from the neighbors."

"I will help you when I return."

They ate lunch and spent the last few minutes they had together before they parted to their working areas. Women came out of work earlier than men. This gave Juliet the chance to prepare dinner and then go get some water for the neighbors. The river was fifteen minutes away from the village. She was strong enough to carry both her own jar and the neighbors at the same time. As she returned to the village some women saw her carrying both jars.

"Is not that something peculiar?" one of them asked.

"Indeed, she looks like she has worked like a man to get that strong. I wonder who would let a woman carry so much weight." said another.

"Hmph, women like that are often rebellious, they think they can do things just as good as man can. That is why they strive to become as strong as they are."

"Maybe she did not have a choice?" asked a younger girl. "She might have been forced because the lack of a man in the house."

"But now she has a husband. She should have left those whims of being strong behind."

"I think it would be lovely if I could carry both jars and look so graceful while doing so," replied the girl with an innocent smile. "It would save me some time and I could still look elegant."

"Don't you go getting such ideas into your head now young lady," scowled the oldest. "Now come along. Dinner is waiting."

Juliet heard the comments yet it did not bother her at all, they just made her laugh. She delivered the jar to the neighbors and returned to her house. She found Legolas serving the plates. His clothing was stained with dirt in some places from the field work.

"Oh, Legolas, I am sorry I was not here to receive you. I was getting the water for the neighbors and thought I could make it back before you did. Apparently I am a rebel now." she said with a smile.

Legolas raised an eyebrow. "What makes you say that?"

"I overheard some women talking about how I could carry two full jars easily and they said that strong women were the ones who rebelled, thinking they could be as strong as men."

Legolas smiled amused. "It sounds as if we were in Rohan."

"It certainly does. Come, let us eat."

Juliet chuckled. She knew Legolas was very hungry from the hard day's work. After they ate they took a bath and then talked for a while and then got ready for bed. That is when they realized something.

"We need to buy another pair of clothes." Legolas said while taking off his dirty shirt.

"We do not have enough money for that. We need to buy the cloth and I must sew them because it will be far too expensive if we sent them to be made. But right now the money we have is not enough. It is hardly enough for this month's food."

Legolas thought for a moment. "Then we need to wash our clothes during the night so they are clean for the next day. We do not need them for sleeping for now. But we must save enough to buy some for winter."

" Agreed. Give me your clothes so that I can wash them."

A neighbor had been kind enough to gift her a bucket earlier that day and she used it to wash their clothes. She hung them on the only window in the house. Then the couple lay together on the floor with their blanket to cover them and fell asleep together, giving each other body warmth.


	3. Chapter 3: First hardships

**Next chappy! So thanks again to my readers and my beta reader Phonexica24 who has been a great help.**

**Disclaimer: I know I said that I would do this just once but just in case cause I don't know if someone is bored out of their mind and decides to do something stupid to my story just because I didn't disclaimed it here it goes again, I am not Tolkien, I am a girl who is very much alive so it makes it impossible for me to own LOTR.**

**Chapter 3: First hardships**

It had been a month since Legolas and Juliet began their new life. Legolas worked from dawn to evening every day. Little by little Legolas felt the pangs of human life hit him. He was tired daily and his body ached, mainly his back and legs. He and Juliet could eat only little portions of food each day in order to save money to buy clothes for winter, and he had not been able to go hunting since he would be out working the whole day and he would return tired and with not enough sunlight left for him to hunt.

Legolas was working the land. It was incredibly hot and it irritated him greatly to feel the heat this way. He whipped his hand over his sweaty brow for the thousandth time that day. This was getting harder for him. He looked up at the sun. Lunch time was near and he could not wait to take a respite. His muscles burned with the amount of work he gave them and the dehydration he was experiencing made things worse. The bell rang and the men stopped their work to take a break. As Legolas turned a smile transformed his face when he saw his wife who came to get him. He walked the distance between them and hugged his wife.

"I brought you some water. It is too hot."

"You could have waited for me. You did not have to come all this way."

"You could be a dry sea sponge by the time you reached the house. It is not healthy to wait so long for water. Besides, this way we can spend more time together."

Legolas smiled. It was not easy to spend time together when they were apart most of the day and at night he was too tired to stay awake for long. He returned to the house with her. The week before they had to pay the rent and now they had only a silver piece left. Legolas made four silver pieces a month and Juliet made two but this was hardly enough to live well. He had learned from the men that when they needed something they would just cut one of their daily meals and save that money. That was what they had begun to do. They ate lunch and dinner but skipped breakfast or dinner.

Another two months passed. September had arrived and so had the rains. It was harder to work when the land was muddy and slippery. After a large monsoon, the men were back on the land trying to salvage what they could. They had been working under the rain for the last three days which was affecting most of them and many were become ill.

Legolas had his eyes downcast and half closed. Dark lines surrounded his eyes where the skin was pale. He was carrying back a basket full of potatoes when his legs failed beneath him and he fell unconscious.

Juliet was helping to make the bread. Sweat covered her brows since she was in a small room with a large oven. She was piling up the bread when a young man came in running.

"Juliet, your husband is not well." he said almost breathlessly.

Juliet's eyes widened and she ran past him to the fields after thanking him. She arrived to the field and a man pointed out where Legolas was. She dropped to her knees by his side and placed a hand on his forehead.

"He is hot."

"We will take him to the house for you. You run ahead and prepare what you need." said one of the men.

"Thank you." she said before she darted back to the house. She prepared a cool bath and went out to buy another blanket and chicken meat to make soup. She began to prepare the soup and a while later the men arrived carrying Legolas, who was still unconscious.

"Thank you. Put him down there."

The men returned to their work and left Juliet to tend to Legolas. She stripped him and carried him to the tub. She almost laughed when she thought of what those women would say if they saw that she could carry a man by herself. She kept him in the cool water to help his temperature go down. After a while Legolas moaned softly. Juliet quickly cupped his face with her hands and waited for him to awake. Slowly Legolas opened his eyes and found himself under the tender gaze of his wife. He grimaced as he felt a pounding pain on his head and the strong burning pain in his throat. These were pains he had not experienced before, mainly the one in his throat. His whole body felt like a big bruise and just breathing seemed to tire him more.

"How do you feel?" came the soft voice of Juliet.

Legolas smiled weakly. "I do not think I can explain it since I have never felt this way."

"You have a fever, probably a virus. You have to stay in bed or else you will kill yourself. Medicine here is very poor and I don't trust their methods."

Legolas raised an eyebrow in question.

"They are not the best people with medicine, that is all. Just rest the illness out."

"But I cannot rest. How will we earn the money we need?"

"I can work in the fields, that is no problem for me if I am accepted. I will just tell Henry that where I come from women work the land as well. If they do not accept me then I will go hunt and take what I catch to the town nearby. But you must rest. Promise me you will not go to work for the next three days."

Legolas looked into Juliet's eyes. They were pleading yet firm. She would tie him to the floor if it meant him resting.

"I promise my love."

Juliet kissed his cheek and helped him out of the tub. His whole body wobbled and swayed as he tried to get on his feet. He hated to be so helpless and vulnerable. He hated the pain on his head and mostly the pain in his throat. He hated how he must have looked. Never had he imagined that he would have to be almost carried to his 'bed', if it could be called a bed. Juliet laid him on the new blanket she had bought and wrapped him with the other blanket.

"Where did you get this blanket?"

"I bought it."

"What? Juliet we have barely enough money to-"

"You need it more than we need the money right now. Your health is what matters the most."

Juliet turned and left to finish cooking the chicken soup. Legolas could smell the scent of chicken soup. Under different circumstances he would have been delighted to have something like this to eat in contrast to the bread and potatoes meal he had had for the past two months. It seemed like an eternity to him. He now hated to see time as a human. Every day was so slow and to even think of tomorrow looked so far away. And now he was sick. This was so wrong. Elves never got sick. If ever he was lying on a bed it was because he had been injured on a battle, not because he got sick. He felt pathetic and useless. How could he have been reduced to this? He was an elven Prince! An ethereal being of great beauty and grace, respected by all and feared by the enemy! But now he was reduced to a sick mess on the floor of a miniature two room house, sleeping on the floor with not even a mattress to separate him from the cold hard floor. He heard the steps from Juliet who had entered the room with a plate and a spoon. She blew on the soup for a while until it was cool enough. When she looked at Legolas to give him the soup, she saw the darkness of his thoughts reflected in his eyes. She held in a sigh and helped him sit up, placing herself behind him to support him. Legolas took the first spoonful and swallowed. It burned his throat terribly, not because it was hot but because of the infection he had. He did not show his pain though and continued eating. By the third spoonful he felt his stomach whirl and a strange new and unwanted feeling took him. Juliet felt his body tense and she quickly placed the soup away just as Legolas bent forward and threw up. Juliet crossed one arm across his chest to hold him up and with the other she pulled back his hair to avoid it getting dirty. After a minute that felt endless to Legolas, he stopped. Juliet took a piece of cloth and cleaned his mouth. She extended her hand and took the water jar and helped Legolas wash away the horrible taste. She laid him back and quickly began to clean up the mess. Now Legolas was angry. He had never thrown up before. He had seen men do it but never experienced it himself. _Valar I hate this_! He thought to himself. _If I ever get my hands on Manwë I will tear him up!_ Then he stopped and realized something that almost made him want to die; his thoughts were like those of humans. Never would an elf dare say or think such things, only humans could think such foolish things. More and more his anger grew. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to react to this? He wished his body would allow him to stand because the rage inside him was enough for him to take an entire army of orcs.

Juliet finally finished cleaning up everything and returned to Legolas. She took the plate and was about to continue feeding him when she saw the darkness of his thoughts once more reflected on his eyes, this time even darker. She placed the plate on the floor and without a word she simply laid herself closely beside him, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms over him. With that gesture Legolas forgot his anger instantly. The closeness of her body and the warmth gave him a feeling of fullness. He closed his eyes and forgot where he was. It only mattered who he was with. He was ill, that was true, and he hated the feeling to no end, but Juliet was here to take care of him no matter what and that was most important. She gave him consolation in this time of hurt and that was all he needed. After a while he sighed. Juliet lifted her head to meet his gaze. He smiled an honest smile.

"I am hungry, love. Could you help me eat?"

Juliet smiled and sat up.

"Of course my love."

The next day Legolas was worse than the night before. Juliet stayed beside him the whole day. But the day after that she needed to leave him under the care of Liza, a young neighbor, while she went hunting very early in the morning. At the same time she would look for healing herbs. She was out for many hours waiting patiently for her prey to appear. Finally a young deer appeared. Juliet wasted no time and soon was walking back to the village with her prey. All who saw her stared curiously or bewildered but she could not care less. That same day she set out to the town nearby to see if she could make a sale. She reached a butcher store. There he sent her to a man who bought animals to mount them as trophies.

"Yes, it is a very good buck, young and strongly built." said the middle age man who was examining the creature. The man looked at Juliet, yet there was a dark gleam behind his roguish smile. "I would never offer this much for a buck, but since it is a fine specimen," he paused to look Juliet from top to bottom. "and even finer the one who hunted it, I will give you ten silver pieces for it."

Juliet did not like at all his attitude towards her. She wanted to slap him and knock him into tomorrow, but for the sake of Legolas she swallowed it and accepted the money.

"You are very kind, good sir. I really need the money for my ill husband. Maybe now I can buy him some medicine."

"So your husband is ill? After these rains many of the men have fallen gravely ill and died." he paused for a moment. "If the tragedy of that lost came to befall on you, feel welcome at my house. There is enough room for a woman as beautiful as yourself. And if you ever feel lonely, feel free to stop by." The last part was said without hiding the double meaning.

Juliet felt her face flush with anger. She tightened the grip on the pouch with the money. She could easily take him on and make him rue his disrespectful words. She narrowed her eyes but kept her hardness hidden to avoid conflict. She turned her back and walked away. She stopped a few feet away and opened the pouch to look at the money.

"You know, he is right. You are quite the beauty to look at." said a familiar male voice from behind. Juliet turned to see that it was one of the young men that lived in her village. He was normally out drinking and doing God knows what, though she had a pretty good idea of what it was. He smelled of alcohol though he looked quite sober.

"Thank you." she said coldly and turning to leave.

"You should take that advantage you know?"

Juliet stopped and turned around. "Advantage of what?"

The man smiled roguishly and took a few steps forward.

"Come on Juliet, you know what I mean. Why, men would fight over you and offer much to be chosen by you for the night! You could make ten times what you make in a month in just one night. And now that your husband is sick he has no way of knowing what you are doing."

Juliet was so shocked with his words that for a moment she was frozen just staring at him. The man took this chance to move closely to her.

"Maybe I can be your first customer. What do you say?" he asked as he ran his fingers over her forehead down to her lips and chin.

Juliet snapped out of her shock and with a lightning fast move she grabbed his hand placing her thumb on a pressure point and twisting the arm out making the man cry out in pain and twist along with his arm. She kept him there for some agonizing long moments. She saw how his face turned red and his brow covered in sweat. She then yanked the arm making him flip in the air and fall on his back. She bent beside him and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. He was about to argue, but his words were lost in the wind when he looked into her fiery hazel eyes. They looked like wheels of fire ready to consume him. She glared fiercely at him and for a moment her elven aura was reflected upon her. She was an elven princess both by blood and marriage; she would not take this kind of disrespect from anyone unless it meant someone else was at stake.

"Do not ever dare to touch me or address me in such a manner else you will know who I really am." she hissed in an ice cold voice that made his blood curl.

She released his shirt, making him fall with a thud. She stood up and all who saw her thought she looked like an ancient Queen of old, strong, proud, beautiful and terrible. With that, Juliet took her leave, leaving many curious spectators to ponder and comment on what had happened.

Juliet walked hastily for a while, but slowly her anger diminished and she slowed her pace. She found a place where an old lady who had fame of brewing good healing potions lived. Upon entering she was met with the pungent odor of herbs and other things she could not identify and thought that maybe she did not want to. The place was full of dozens of pots and plants on the tables, floor, and hanging from the ceiling. She could see no one and she called out several times. She stopped in between some tables looking around.

"Evening lass." came the voice of a very old woman from behind.

If it were not for Juliet's many years of training both martial arts and in Middle earth she would have at least yelped and spun wildly. Thankfully she was able to restrain herself and she calmly turned to face the old woman.

"Good evening. I am sorry for inviting myself in like this. I did not hear any response and thought that maybe you could not hear me."

"Oh I could hear you just fine lass. I just like to sneak up on my customers. It is very fun to see them jump once startled, and it is mainly the only fun I get around here, but you seemed under control."

The old lady laughed wholeheartedly. Juliet smiled softly. The old lady grew on her quickly.

"So what can I get you lass?"

"My husband is sick and everyday he seems to get worse."

"I thought that was the case. After these blasted rains most men who work in the fields have come in with the same thing. There are a few medicines here that might be able to help, but if you say he is getting worse by the day then that narrows you down to one if you want to make sure he survives. But it is expensive because it has many exported herbs that are not easy to find nor cheap to buy."

Juliet narrowed her eyes worriedly. "How much?"

"I sell it at four silver coins, but seeing as you look like you cannot afford that much I can leave it at three per bottle."

"How many bottles to I need?"

"I would suggest you take at least three. It is a very strong medicine but I am sure that your husband will need to continue working soon so to ensure he is healed, he will need to be treated longer. Each bottle contains enough for two doses a day. Have him take one in the morning and one at night."

Juliet held in a sigh but internally she was about to cry. It was almost all the money they had and it would leave them with only four silver coins if she counted what they had saved, but Legolas needed the medicine more. She took out the money and paid the old lady. Half of the money she had left was explicitly for the next's month's rental and the rest was for food. It would be a hard month since neither Legolas nor she was working so they lost most of that month's salary.

Juliet made her way back to the village. It was very late when she arrived. She saw a light in the house. Maybe legolas was still up waiting for her. She wondered if Liza was still there though she doubted it. She was a married young woman and she doubted her husband would agree for her to stay at night with another man. She entered the house silently and smiled. There was Liza sitting at Legolas' feet while he slept. She smiled at Juliet and silently stood up. Juliet followed her outside and they stopped at the entrance of the house.

"I cannot thank you enough Liza. How can I ever repay you?"

"Think nothing of it. He did not get worse but neither did he get better. Were you able to accomplish what you set out to do?"

"Yes, I caught a young buck and sold it and with the money I was able to buy medicine for Legolas."

"You know I have never even heard of a woman who could hunt, and I was told you carried it back yourself. Where is it that you are from? Your names are clearly not from this Kingdom."

For a moment Juliet panicked internally. Then she came up with something.

"We come from across the Seas. It was not our intention to be here, but destiny chose otherwise."

It was not a total lie. In a sense they did come from across the Seas since Middle earth was not in those lands and they were not the ones who chose to be here.

"Really? I did not know there were lands across the Seas!"

"Neither do they know about this place. I beg you do not divulge this information. It is quite hard to explain this to other people."

"Fear not. I will not mention this to anyone. I must go now. My husband was more than happy to let me stay for a few more hours but it is time that I return home."

"Thank your husband for me, and thank you again so much for your help."

"Any time. That is what friends are for."

Juliet watched Liza leave and followed her with her eyes until she was sure that she was safe in her house. After that she quickly entered her own house and made her way to the small room where Legolas slept. Juliet silently put the medicine and money away and knelt by Legolas' side. She placed her hand on his forehead. It was hot. She sighed silently. She was extremely tired since she had awaken up at dawn to go hunt, had carried a buck by herself all the way to the next town and basically had spent the whole day walking and moving and she had not even eaten that day. She saw that by the "bed" there was a small plate of potatoes. She smiled and thanked Liza for her thoughtfulness. She ate the food quickly and took a bath since she smelled like buck, dirt and sweat. The water was freezing. She hated a cold bath in the middle of the night but she had no choice. She yelped slightly when the water touched her body but she forced herself into the water. She did not realize that Legolas had been awakened by her yelp and was now looking at his wife in the dim candlelight with a loving smile. He had missed her that day. He felt as if he had not seen her for years even if it had been only a day. He could see Juliet trembling in the cold water and chuckled slightly. Juliet's trained ears caught the sound and she turned her head to her husband.

"Amused by watching me suffer?"

Legolas chuckled again and shook his head.

"I am so happy to see you here." he said simply but his tone and eyes showed how deep the emotion ran.

Juliet smiled and decided to finish her bath at that moment. She left the tub and her soaked body trembled as she passed her hand over herself to remove the excess of water from herself. When she was considerably dry she moved towards Legolas. He had kept his eyes on her throughout the whole time and was waiting for her to lie beside him. When she did he quickly covered her with the blanket. She kissed his cheek and he kissed her forehead. She was happy to have his body warmth to help her stop trembling. Legolas moved to lie on his side so that he could hold Juliet completely in his arms and she snuggled closer to him.

"How was your day?" he asked.

"It was good. I was able to sell the buck I hunted and I got good money out of it and I was able to buy you some medicine. The old lady who sold it to me said that it is the best one that she has and that it should have you up in a week."

"Really? How much did it cost?"

"You do not want to know."

"Is there any money left for this month's rental?"

"Yes, and for some food. Tomorrow I will have to go to work because we are behind and we will have trouble paying next month's rent if we stay like this."

Legolas pulled Juliet closer if possible and rested his head on hers.

"Do not think of it anymore. You are tired. Do not go to work tomorrow. Stay here and rest."

"I know you are worried, but it is essential that I work. We have three silver piece from what we have saved and one piece that remained from the buck. That will be good for this month but then we will have nothing for the next month. At least if I can work I can get my two silver pieces and we will be sure of next's month's rent."

"I will be working in less than a week if the Valar allows me. Then we can recover or at least have whatever I can get before the next payment."

"I just hope that you recover soon. I hate to see you like this."

Legolas tightened his arms around her.

"Do not worry about me. It has not been an easy thing to accept or get by, but I would do this for the rest of my life if it means to be by your side."

"I know, but it still bothers me to see you suffer like this. Elves were not made for this."

Legolas chuckled.

"I now realize that humans are even stronger than they look. If they can get by after these kinds of ordeals and continue life then they are truly something to marvel at. I had always seen sickness as something that made humans weak, but I think that after going through this myself I see that one must be truly strong to continue on after one."

It was Juliet's turn to chuckle. "I am glad that you no longer think us humans as weaklings."

"I never said that, and you are not a human."

"I am confused at what I am. I started as an elf, and then I was human, then an elf, and now a human. Yet strangely it hardly makes any difference to me whether I am human or elf. I feel almost the same in each state except for the obvious advantages of elves. But putting that aside I just feel the same."

"You are one of a kind, and I am lucky to have you." he said as he kissed her head.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

**Next chapter is under work but I think it will be out in two or three days. Reviews appreciated**


	4. Chapter 4: Close call

**IOkay so this fanfcition site clearly hates me because it keeps shooting down the chapter when I upload it. am so sorry it took so long to update but I have not been home for the last several days and internet has not been working well either so I could not update. So this chapter has not been bate read since my beta reader is very busy at the moment. I tried to read it over and check for any error. If you see any point it out and I will fix it. For now please enjoy this next chapter.**

Chapter four: Close call

The medicine might have been expensive, but the old lady was true to her word. Within the week Legolas was back on his feet and working hard on the fields. It was a hard month for both Legolas and Juliet since they had to make up for the time they lost. Yet Henry was a kind leader and he paid to all who had been sick at least half of what they lost during that time. Time passed and October was near. There was a lot to be done for the harvest and the men and women worked almost double time. The winds had become colder and Legolas and Juliet managed to save enough to at least buy cloth to make warmer clothing. It was not easy though since Juliet worked much of the day and when she returned home she had to go fetch water and cook so she got little time to sew at nights to make the clothing so for now the couple fended by their will.

Legolas worked quietly on the fields, hardly ever engaging in the conversation of the men. They would randomly tease him lightly about being mute or some other thing that could explain his lack of socializing but it was never something insulting and he paid no attention to it. One day though he got pulled into a conversation. One of the young men that worked with him went up to him while he was taking a break.

"Hey Legolas." greeted one of them.

"Good day." he replied plainly.

"So the guys and I were planning a hunting trip tomorrow and we wanted to invite you. After that we also wanted to go up to the town and have some refreshments."

Legolas thought that the offer was tempting. He had not touched his bow for months since they arrived here. Yet he did not feel as if going out with some of these men would be enjoyable. Many of them were troublesome and mischievous in a bad way.

"I am honored that you would invite me, but I must decline your offer."

"But why? Tomorrow we will be given a free day from all this work and it is not like you have anything else to do."

Legolas thought for a moment.

"I have my wife. I will spend some time with her."

"You spend time with her every day. I am sure that she will like you to have some fun once in a while. Besides, it will be long before we have another break from work. She will understand."

Legolas thought of his words. They were true and he wondered if it would be that bad to just take a day to go hunting.

"Alright, I will go."

"Great! We will see you after the sun breaks the sky."

That evening Legolas returned to his house to be greeted by the all too familiar smell of potatoes. He went up to Juliet and gave her a hug and a gentle kiss as he always did when arriving from work.

"How was your day?" he asked like he always did.

"It was alright. How was yours?"

"I was invited to go tomorrow on a hunting trip and then to the town."

"Will you go?"

"I said I would, but if you want me to stay I will."

Juliet turned to look at him. She smiled gently.

"Legolas you deserve to have some fun after all these months of hard work. I trust you among those men. It will also give me time to finish sewing our winter clothes. Just be careful and if you can come back a little early so we can spend some time together that would be lovely as well."

Legolas smiled. "I will."

The next day Legolas was able to sleep a little more than he usually did. When the sun was up completely he awoke and prepared to leave with the men. They set out to the woods in search of prey. They split up in two groups and separated to see which group caught the better prey. Legolas' group spotted a deer. Since Legolas carried such a fancy bow and quiver the men wanted to see if he actually was as good as he seemed so they asked him to be the one to shoot it. Legolas agreed and internally he thought about how easy it would be to hunt this animal. He aimed carefully and released the arrow. Yet he was overly shocked when the arrow missed its target. The men laughed when his arrow flew off in another direction.

"Looks like you lack of practice." Commented one of them as he laughed along with the others.

For a moment anger flowed inside of him. He saw how another man shot the creature and actually hit its target. How could a mere human be better than him! He had not practiced in months, but he never thought that it could make him be as terrible as he was now. He had never gone so long without practicing and the lack of elven virtues added to that made him lose much of what he once was. He thought that this hunting trip had lost its entire glow.

As the day progressed the men set out to the town and Legolas with them. They said they would pay for anything he wanted to have as long as it was with them. They took Legolas to a tavern. The first thing Legolas noticed was the strong smell of beer. Next he noticed the commotion and ruckus the men created while being drunk or even half drunk. He didn't like this place and he wanted to leave, yet he did not find a good excuse for it. As he observed the tavern he did not noticed when some of the young men left his side to whisper some things. They went ahead and ordered the drinks for everyone. When Legolas was offered the pint of beer he declined it.

"Come on friend. Just one drink so that we can all make a toast."

Legolas decided that he would only take this one drink just to show gratefulness for their generosity. He took the pint and waited for the toast to be made.

"A toast to us for enduring these blasted hours of hard labor."

There was a series of 'Ayes' before everyone took a large gulp of their drink. Legolas took a large sip. He put the pint down before he began to feel something funny inside of him. At first he was startled since he knew that being now human he was not immune to alcohol, but he also knew that he should not be so vulnerable to it. There was something else in the drink that he knew not about.

"What is in this?"

He asked to one of the men.

"This is beer. What else could there be in it?"

"I feel strange. There is something else in it."

"Nonsense. We are all having the same thing. Maybe you need to have some more so that your body can get used to it."

Legolas knew nothing of beer and men so he decided to follow his advice. He finished the whole drink but by the end of it he was not himself. He had a cocky grin on his face and his composed and quiet nature was gone. Some of the men smiled mischievously and the others noticed.

"So you did put something else in the drink after all?" one of them asked.

"We did. I think it is time for this man to loosen up and have some real fun."

"How do you plan on doing that?" asked another.

The men who had spoiled Legolas' drink looked around for a moment. One of them pointed and the others followed.

"There, she will do for him."

They had pointed at one of the woman who "worked" here. She was wearing a cleavage dress and had a look and a smile that said what her intentions were. The young men approached her.

"Well hello lad. Care for some fun?" she asked closing in on him seductively.

"Actually it is my friend who would like to have some fun with you. But I will be paying for your services to him."

"Well where is he?"

He looked back to where Legolas was sitting.

"There, the one with long blond hair."

The woman searched for the one and smiled deviously. She made her way to him.

"Well hello there. Aren't you a handsome one?"

She asked while running a hand over his shoulder down to his chest. Legolas looked at her confused.

"Have we met before?"

"No handsome, but we can get to know each other better if you like." she said while sitting on his lap and running her hand from his chest to rest on his thigh.

He smiled and chuckled at her action.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked her.

"Of course! But I do hope that dancing is not the only thing you have planned for the night with me." She said as she was led to the dance floor.

As they danced she became more sensual with him, moving her body provocatively and sometimes brushing her body with his. After a while the woman decided it was time to take action.

"We have danced, but now I want to show you what I am capable of." she whispered in his ear.

Legolas smiled and nodded and allowed her to lead him away from the crowd. She found a corner where they were alone. She ran her hand up and down his chest several times making Legolas' mind go into a haze. She unbuttoned his shirt and threw it aside. Then she pulled off her own dress to be only in her small white undergarment that consisted of a tube style bra and little shorts. She took his hands and wrapped them around her body and wrapped her own hands around his neck. She got on her toes to reach his lips. She stopped a mere inch from them to allow their breaths to mingle. It was in that short period of time that something snapped in Legolas. Flashes of memories of similar situations with Juliet shot into his mind. His eyes widened when he felt the woman's lips almost on his and he realized the gravity of the situation. Immediately he pulled away from the woman.

"What is it?" she asked clearly confused.

Legolas stared at her for a moment as anger and rage flowed in him. He looked at her and looked at himself. He had almost betrayed Juliet. The woman backed away looking terrified as she looked into those eyes that had turned from blue to black. He looked murderous, ready to jump at her and kill her with his own hands. She thought of running but she was caught in those terrible eyes and could not look away. Legolas took some steps forward making the woman almost scream. Yet he only bent to pick up his clothes. He dressed quickly while the woman stared in fear. When he was finished he looked at the woman.

"You are worth much more than this. A woman should not be an object of pleasure for others. You are a sacred being, meant to love and be loved and bear life from that love."

Without another word or look he walked pass her, leaving her to ponder on his words that would bring change within her from that night on. Legolas returned to the tavern and was met with the surprised looks of some of the young men who had stayed around just drinking. His eyes were fire daggers when they fell upon the men who had brought him. For a moment he stared them down until he could see the fear in their eyes. Then he turned and left the tavern.

Legolas began to run as fast as his legs and lungs allowed him. He wanted to see Juliet, to embrace her, to kiss her and tell her what she meant to him. Legolas could feel the cold wind breaking against his face, making his eyes dry and his face numb but he would not slow, he would not stop until he had Juliet in his arms. Finally he came to the foot of the hill where at the bottom was the village. Smiling he dashed down the hill, slipping and sliding but never stopping. He ran through the village, calling the attention of some of the villagers who wondered why he was in such a hurry. Finally he was before his house. Stopping only a second to avoid breaking down the door from the force of the run he entered the house and smiled brightly when he saw Juliet sitting on the floor sewing. She looked up with a surprised look at seeing him here so early and in this strange manner. She stared at him for a moment raising an eyebrow since he was just staring at her with such deepness and such a bright smile.

"Legolas are you alright?"

Before she could react, Legolas dived for her and captured her in his arms as he gave her a deep passionate and fiery kiss. Juliet was surprised for only a moment but when she got over her surprise she welcomed the kiss eagerly. Finally after a while they pulled away. Juliet was still sitting on the floor and Legolas sat on his knees before her. He smiled lovingly and caressed her face as he looked into her eyes.

"I love you." he whispered.

"I love you too." she replied yet she knew that there was something else he needed to say. She did not doubt him at all and she knew that whatever it was it was not that serious. She waited patiently for him to speak.

"Today the men took me to a tavern."

He stopped to give Juliet a chance to react, but she just nodded for him to continue.

"They bought me a drink. I denied it but they asked me to take just one so we could all toast. I took it but I did not know that someone had slipped something in it. I was drugged and I had no control of my actions. I was set to dance with a woman. After that she took me to the back. She almost got me to sleep with her, but just as she was about to kiss me I came to my senses. I quickly returned here and I wanted to apologize for almost failing you. I could have committed a heinous crime against you have not Manwë have given me the strength to realize what was happening. Please forgive me."

Juliet smiled and shook her head.

"There is nothing to forgive Legolas. You did nothing wrong. You did not know that the drink was tampered with and it was not by your own will that you dance with that woman that way. And in the end you were able to stop things before it was too late." Juliet stopped, bowed her head and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And if anything should have happened, I would have still forgiven you because it would not have been your fault."

Legolas put his hand under her chin and lifted her face to look at him. She smiled somewhat weakly since it weighted in her heart the thought of what almost happened. Legolas leaned his forehead on hers and there they stayed for a while. It was a moment to let their silence speak for each other. Slowly Juliet looked p into Legolas' eyes before her lips met his. The couple stayed together for the rest of the night remembering each other of how much they loved one another.

**Very short chapter I'm afraid. But I hope you like it anyways. I like writing the part where Legolas almost slept with the woman. I tried to make it look like it would happen all the way to give it tension. Please review if you feel like it **


	5. Chapter 5: Heart of gold

**Okay so sorry for the delay again. This time a stupid little storm came and we had no power for two days. That is cruel punishment for me. But at last here it is. It took me long to write this chapter because is long and because I was getting bored of it. But now hopefully I got back on track. I hope you like it!**

**Disclaimer: I really wonder who came up with the idea of us having to disclaim when it is obvious that none of us is Tolkien so none of us could possibly own anything.**

Chapter five: Heart if gold

Life went on for another few weeks. November had arrived and the cold was not kind. But Juliet had finished making their winter clothing and they used all the clothes they had to keep warm. Soon snow would start falling and they would have their vacation. Legolas never spoke to the men about what they had done to him and most of them didn't approach him since they could still remember the anger in his eyes that day and they were afraid that he might still hold a grudge against them. But Legolas had simply let go of it and continued life as he had before. They had spent most of this time storing food for winter and getting wood for fire. Legolas and Juliet had gone out to practice sparring and their aim since Legolas' hunting trip so they were sure not to lose their skills. Anyone who saw them would think they were mortal enemies who were fighting to the death since they fought ferociously against one another. Thankfully they had not lost their skills as Manwë had promised and they continued practicing every night in the woods.

Finally the last day of work came but with it came something else that Juliet and Legolas were not aware off. Everyone in the village was preparing their houses for the winter, putting up wood in the windows and getting as much firewood as they could, when several horses with riders came riding down the cliff and into the village. Everyone all of a sudden looked tense. Legolas and Juliet exchanged puzzled looks. One of the man, an arrogant looking one, rode in front of his group which had stopped in the middle of the village. Henry walked forward looking displeased.

"What are you doing here Arthur? The collect is for another four days."

"It was decided that we should collect early this time." he said with a smug smile and his voice was dripping with lies.

"Really? And who decided it this time? As I can remember last year you said the same thing, only for us to reach the real day of collection to be told that there had been no change and we had to pay them even after you stole half of what we had."

"I care not about what you remember or say. I will make the collection now and I expect cooperation, unless you wish someone gets hurt."

Henry walked forward and pulled out his sword. It was him against eight men. He had no chance. Three men dismounted and pulled out their swords. Henry quickly began to fight and even if he was a skilled fighter, he could not hold off three at a time. He was thrown to the ground and one soldier placed a sword on his neck.

"Well, well Henry. I see that you are as stubborn as ever. Maybe you need a lesson to remind you of how I am."

He signaled to the soldier who nodded at him. He was about to draw with his sword on Henry's chest when a commanding tone stopped him.

"Stop."

Everyone looked to the source of the voice. Legolas was holding his bow with his arrow notched and ready to fire. The man took some steps back.

"And who do you think you are?" asked Arthur obviously annoyed.

"I am Legolas, and you are leaving this people alone."

Arthur laughed mockingly.

"You think you can give me orders?"

Legolas aimed the bow at him and immediately his smile fell. The three men that had attacked Henry charged at Legolas. But before the first one could lower his sword on him, he was met with another sword. The man was surprised and took a quick step back. He was surprised to see it had been a woman who had blocked him. It was Juliet. She stood beside her husband in a battle stance. For some reason the men did not dare to attack them. They hesitated a while and everyone in the village just stood there waiting to see what would happen.

"Well what are you waiting for? They are two, you are eight! Get them!"

"But sir, what about the lady?" asked one of them.

"Are you afraid of her?" he asked mockingly.

"No sir. But she is a woman."

"And she has disrespected my orders. If she wants to play as a man, then she will be treated as a man. Now get them!"

At that moment all eight men charged at them. Legolas released the arrow which fell right at the feet of Arthur's horse, making it jump and kick so Arthur would fall off. Quickly he took out his twin blades and a small battle began. Most of the men were reluctant to attack Juliet so they went for Legolas and only two went for her. She dodged their attacks. First she just played a while with them dodging while keeping a smile on her face to taunt them. Then she decided to finish this so she scurried to the side and was quickly behind one of them and gave him a powerful kick that lifted him from the ground and sent him falling hard on the ground. The other man was not going to let himself get beaten by a woman, so he started attacking viciously. Yet Juliet did not show much of a struggle avoiding and blocking his attacks. He locked his sword with hers and pushed her down, yet surprisingly she held him. He continued pushing down looking into her hazel eyes. She smiled deviously before pushing him off her making him lose his balance and she jumped, spun and kicked the sword off his hand. The man grabbed his now fractured hand and looked at Juliet with hatred. The other man managed to get up and looked at Juliet. He was angry alright and his eyes were blazing.

"So you think you can play the soldier woman? We will see what you think when I'm done with you!"

He charged at Juliet who waited for him to reach her. When he did she simply blocked his attack and swung her leg between his legs. The man swallowed a scream and fell to his knees. Juliet chuckled and turned to see Legolas.

While Juliet had been fighting the two men, he had been fighting six. He was no longer an elf but he had not lost his skills especially having practiced with Juliet while they were here and he was as strong and swift as a man could be. First off he had to jump out of the way of the first three men that charged him. He continued backing up avoiding the many swings of their sword. After a moment his knives made contact with the first sword. With a swift movement he deflected the blow and quickly jumped, turned and kicked the man on the head like Juliet had taught him. Half a second later he had to duck to avoid his head being sliced off by another sword. All five men were now on him. He had to be fast. First he swiftly slid out of the circle they were trapping him in. As soon as he did that he blocked the nearest sword, deflected the blow and used the hilt of one of his knives to hit the man on the head making him fall unconscious. Two down, four to go. Legolas was not overconfident knowing he could not rely on his former elven abilities so he would not take any chances. He quickly charged at the men. Reaching the first one he swung his knife so hard that it knocked the sword out of the man's hand, and then he punched him making him fall with a bloody nose. The three remaining men were exasperated. Legolas had managed to take down half of them and they had not even gotten a scratch on him. Before they could attack, one of them fell abruptly on his face. When Legolas looked he saw Henry who had a split lip and his sword at hand which he had used to knock the man on the head. At that moment Juliet had finished her fright and came to stand beside Legolas. Together they took down the two remaining soldiers in seconds.

Everyone was in awe. It had been an amazing display for all from both Legolas and Juliet. Most of them secretly disapproved of a woman bearing arms but none would dare say it openly. Arthur looked angrily at his fallen men.

"This is not over."

"Oh but it is." replied Henry with a smug smile. "If you go to the authorities and claim, you will be arrested for attempt robbery of the royal collect."

Arthur had bloodshot eyes. To say that he was furious was a major understatement. Yet he knew better than to risk his own neck against those who had taken down all of his men so singlehandedly. He got on his mount.

"Come on you idiots, get up!" he barked at his men.

Most of the men were up. Just two were still unconscious and they were picked up by the others. Arthur rode ahead and left the other soldiers to bring the horses of the unconscious men.

"Thank you for your help. I would not be in one piece if it were not for you." said Henry approaching the couple yet referring mainly to Legolas.

Legolas was about to comment on it but Juliet cleverly took his hand to stop him.

"It is our honor to serve." he replied finally.

"But what is this about a collect?" asked Juliet.

Henry looked at her almost bewildered but in a worried sense.

"How is it that you do not know of the collect? Every year at this time the king will send his men to make a collect from what we produced, plus whatever money they ask of each of us. Have you nothing to pay with?"

Legolas and Juliet exchange worried looks.

"We knew nothing of it." Legolas replied. "We used our saving for our winter clothing. We hardly have our last payment."

Henry was about to reply to that when a loud sound of hooves approaching made everyone look at the hill. The men of the King were coming and they were many. Everyone was suddenly running off scared and nervous. Henry too looked distressed though he hid it well enough.

"You too go hide those weapons now, and don't fight these men. They are the King's men." he whispered to them before heading out to meet them.

Legolas and Juliet did as told and quickly hid their weapons and returned outside to wait for whatever came next.

"Lord Charles, to what do we owe this visit?" asked Henry now that the troop had settled in the village.

"I heard that Arthur had sneak pass our guard and was headed here for another attempt at the collection. But I do not see him here."

"He was here, but he left just moments ago."

"He left? Well no matter. Now to other matters at hand. The collect will be today since we are already here and since it is a long trip back to the castle we were given permission by the King to collect today."

"Uh…of course Lord Charles."

Henry was distressed but there was nothing he could do now. He turned to the village.

"Everyone listen up! The collect will be today! Prepare your pay!"

There was mumbling among the village but everyone scurried to do as told. Lord Charles got down from his mount and started to go house by house and his soldiers would take whatever was offered as payment. Legolas and Juliet had only four silver coins so that was what they prepared. Lord Charles reached their house and Legolas gave him the small amount of money they had. He gave him a quizzical look.

"Is this all?"

"I am sorry. We are new to the village and we knew not of this collect until just now. This is all we have."

"Well then you must pay off the debt in another way."

Lord Charles nodded at one of his soldiers who walked forward and placed a hand on Juliet's back to lead her outside. Legolas reacted by forcing himself between them.

"What do you think you are doing with my wife?" he asked with a strong demanding tone and his eyes shone fiercely.

The soldier backed away raising his hand in a piece gesture. Lord Charles placed a hand on his soldier's shoulder before walking forward to Legolas.

"You have no way to pay, so she will come with us and work for us until the pay is done."

"She is not going anywhere." he hissed.

Lord Charles frowned.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way."

Lord Charles nodded to another of his men to get Juliet, but as he approached her Legolas punched him in the face. Several soldiers jumped at Legolas trying to restrain him grabbing at him and trying to punch him down. He started fighting them with all his might. He punched several out cold. Other heard the commotion and came running to aid the soldiers to restrain Legolas. Juliet did not take it kindly that his husband was being overtaken by so many men so she began to fight as well, pulling them off of him. But the fight was cut short when several swords were pulled out and pressed to Legolas. Juliet froze when she saw the thin lines of blood coming from Legolas' chest. Two soldiers hurried to restrain her, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her.

"Leave him alone!" demanded Juliet.

"Not before he is taught to respect his superiors." said Charles in a dark tone.

"No! No you leave him alone!" screamed Juliet and struggled to free herself immediately managing to free one arm.

"If you do not cooperate he will get it worse I can assure you." Charles threatened and a soldier pressed his sword against Legolas chest making it bleed again.

Juliet froze. She stared at Legolas who was staring at Charles as if he could kill him with his bare hands, which he would if he got free from this. The soldiers again restrained Juliet and led her outside and Legolas was dragged out by five soldiers. A rope was tied on each of Legolas' wrist and two soldiers on each side pulled to keep him from moving while he was on his knees.

"This will serve as a reminder of who is above you."

With a wave of his hand two soldiers came forth and one of them dug his boot on Legolas' stomach with a strong kick. Legolas hissed but hardly as much as a man would normally do. At the same time Juliet yelped and almost tried to get away to help him. One kick turned into two, and soon kicks, slaps and punches were raining on Legolas.

"Stop this! Stop this please I beg you!"

Juliet's eyes were full of tears as she saw her husband get beaten so harshly. It was really only a minute, though it served to cause many bruises. Charles raised his hand and the soldiers stopped and released Legolas who almost fell but held himself with his hands. Charles walked forward to him.

"It is only because you did this to defend your wife that I was light on your punishment. But be warned, next time I will come with my whip ready if you disrespect any of my soldiers."

Juliet was shaking as she looked at her husband. She was pulled away but she did not struggle for Legolas' sake. She was place upon a horse along with the rest of the cargo. Legolas weakly struggled to get up yet he had not lost the glare that was now burning hole through the soldiers. Charles was soon done and gave the call to leave. Legolas stumbled to his feet and tried to go after them.

"No!" yelled several of the men from the village and quickly restrained him to keep him from getting himself whipped.

"Let me go!" he exclaimed as he looked at Juliet leaving.

"No! No let me go!"

When the soldiers were out of Legolas' reach he was released. Legolas fell on his hands panting hard from the struggle and pain.

"They would have skinned you if you continued to fight." said one of the men.

"Where are they taking her?" he asked in an angered voice.

"Most women are taken to work either as seamstresses or as entertainers."

"Entertainers? How does that work?"

"They dance at taverns. Nothing drastic." he replied putting his hands up since Legolas looked about to murder anyone who stood in his way.

"I will go get her." he said as he started walking away.

"You will get yourself killed! Then she will be taken and sold!"

Legolas stopped abruptly and turned to look sharply at the man.

"Is this true?" he asked another villager who nodded.

"Yes, it was long ago, but a few other men tried getting their wife back but because they used forced they were killed by the soldiers and then the woman became possession of the King and she was sold to anyone who wanted her for whatever reason."

Legolas was dumbstruck. He had no way of saving her without dooming her. He sighed in defeat.

"Then I will go see her at least to make sure she is safe. Then I will figure out what to do about the pay."

"You are in no condition to walk to the town. You are-"

"Still in once piece and nothing is stopping me from going to my wife." Legolas cut him off with a stern tone.

No more words were said and Legolas set out to find Juliet. It was hours before he reached the town. He approached a man in his mid forties.

"Excuse me, where can I find the soldiers of the King after they make their collect?"

The man had been chopping wood but stopped at hearing his question. He gave him a stern look.

"I don't know."

Legolas was thousands of years old and could detect a lie easily.

"Are you sure?"

The man looked at him sharply.

"Are you calling me a liar?"

Legolas narrowed his eyes and without a word he left. He made several more attempts but no one wanted anything to do with him after hearing what he wanted. They all seemed afraid of the soldiers. Legolas had just received a door slam from the last person he had asked. Frustrated he sat on a corner and rubbed his eyes. He sighed deeply. He had to find her. He saw a shadow approach him. He lifted his head and to his surprise he found a small boy around the age of seven who was looking curiously at him.

"May I help you?" Legolas asked him.

"Were you crying?" he asked in his little innocent voice.

Legolas chuckled bitterly.

"No little one, I was not crying."

The child was not convinced. He tilted his head to observe him better.

"You look sad."

"I am sad little one."

"Why are you sad?"

Legolas looked at the child for a moment. His pureness and innocence moved him to tell him.

"Because I need to find my wife, but no one will help me."

"What happened to your wife?"

"She was taken by the King's s soldiers."

The child thought for a moment then smiled.

"I know where they are." he said in a whisper and Legolas was surprised that even he was so secretive about it.

Legolas' eyes were wide and he leaned closer to the boy to whisper.

"Could you lead me there?"

The boy nodded and took Legolas' hand. Quickly they set out through the town and Legolas followed the child without question.

"Why does everyone fear to speak of the soldiers?" Legolas asked the child as they passed a more deserted part of town.

"Because they are mean. If they get angry at you the beat you and hurt you and take all of your things. That is what happened to my daddy."

Legolas' head shot to look at the little boy.

"Where are your parents child?"

"In Heaven!" he exclaimed happily.

Legolas felt as if he had been slapped across the face. This child was orphan and yet he rejoiced for his parents.

"Did the soldiers kill them?"

"No, but my mommy got very sick and my dad had no money to pay for medicine. Daddy went to find a cure but he was assaulted in the forest and he was killed. Soldiers found his body and brought him back. Then mommy died."

"Who do you live with?"

"My aunt. She is very nice and makes great chicken stew and signs me to sleep every night."

Legolas could not help to smile at the tenderness of the child.

"Well when we are close to the soldiers please tell me so you will not get caught should something happen."

"But I want to see your wife. Is she pretty?"

"Yes she is. She is very pretty."

"You must love her a lot to risk getting caught by the soldiers."

Legolas' mind flew to that warm summer's day in the forest behind Ithilien when Juliet had been swimming and he had waited for her to resurface.

"_I thought you had drowned." he teased in elvish._

"_And still you did not come to my rescue?" she asked in mock shock in elvish as well._

"_I did not wish to get wet."_

_Juliet crossed her arms over her bare chest._

"_Is that how much you love me then, that you would let me drown because you rather not get wet?"_

_Legolas jumped into the water and wrapped his arms around her._

"_Nay, for you my love I would swim in the deepest ocean, walk through fire, face the wrath of a volcano and the whole world if it meant to save you."_

"I do love her. I love her more than my own life."

The child looked up and smiled. In his eyes Legolas could see much love and care. How could a child that has lost both parents still smile and show love this way. Legolas realized he knew not the name of the child. He realized the child did not know his name either, and yet he had offered his help to a complete stranger.

"What is your name young one?"

"Thomas!"

"Well Thomas, it is an honor to meet you. I am Legolas."

The child giggled at the formality. For a while longer they walked until the boy stopped in a street that was almost empty. At the end he could see the town stopped and long fields spread down a road that had been marked by the constant passing of horses. Just as the road started there were several houses and soldiers were walking around them. They were at a safe distance not to be seen as a threat.

"Do you know when do they leave to the King's palace?"

"Not for another three days. They are still making collects around town."

"Good."

Legolas knelt in front of the child and placed his hands on his little shoulders.

"Thank you Thomas. I could not have done it without you. Now you must return to your home."

"But I want to help you."

"You have helped me, a lot. But if the soldiers were to catch you I would not bear it in my heart. You must return to safety. Your aunt will worry if you do not return home. I will stay until nightfall so I can sneak in. For now I must wait and you must leave to your home where you will be safe."

Thomas looked saddened by his words yet he understood what Legolas meant.

"Alright, I will go."

"Thank you Thomas."

The little boy jumped into Legolas' arm. Legolas was surprised for a moment but quickly returned the embrace. The warmth and love he felt from Thomas made his heart melt. The child then backed away.

"You have a heart of gold Thomas. Do not change ever."

The boy smiled and nodded before taking off in a spirited run. Legolas followed him with his eyes until he could no longer see him. Then he found a place to hide until nightfall.

Finally the sun went down and all was dark. Legolas was greatly annoyed for the lack of night vision. Yet he had not forgotten how to sneak and make his way through the dark unnoticed. He had seen Aragorn do it many times and had learned by observing him. Slowly and quietly he made his way to the houses. Most of the soldiers were asleep inside one of the houses and few were making watch. It was a hard moment for Legolas to go through. He had to be extremely careful and watch every step he took. He managed to get into the grounds of the houses unseen, but he did not know where Juliet could be kept. As he made his way through the grounds he heard voices of women murmuring. Quickly he made his way to a window with bars. He peeked inside. There a candle lit and around it were several women including Juliet. He felt his heart skip a beat. He looked back to see if someone was around before returning to the window.

"Juliet." he whispered.

Every woman that was awake turned their head to the window.

"Legolas?" replied Juliet in a low but very surprised tone.

She jumped to her feet and ran to the window and took Legolas' hands in hers.

"Juliet are you alright?"

"I am. But you must leave before you are caught. They will flagellate you if they catch you."

"Listen to me. I will search for a way to get the money or anything else I can pay with. I will hunt or something, but I will not let you be taken."

"Legolas my love listen, even if I am taken you must not worry. I will be a seamstress. Everyone here will be. There is a ball coming soon and it is a very busy time for seamstresses and they need help. And some of the women here have done this in other occasions and they say it is not a bad thing. In a month we should have the payment done. I will be alright."

Legolas sighed. He hated to see his wife behind bars as if she was a slave or criminal.

"I must go now, but I will do my best for you."

"I know you will. I love you."

"I love you two."

Legolas kissed her hands before leaving. Juliet did not leave the window even if she could no longer see him. She wanted to hear for any signs that he had been caught. Legolas made it out of the ground of the houses and thought he was home free. But a voice from behind told him otherwise.

"Hey you, halt in the name of the King!"

Legolas looked back for only a second to see the two soldiers that were running towards him. It was too dark for them to see his face so Legolas just dashed away. The soldiers were running fast behind him. One of the had a spear and was getting ready to throw it at him when something hard hit him on the forehead. The other soldier stopped for a moment before he too was hit on the head and fell with a loud thud to the ground. Legolas heard the commotion and looked back. He saw a small shadow close to the guards. Something in his heart knew who it was and he dashed back, picked up a small figure into his arms and continued running away. For a long time he ran in silence and the little person did not speak either. Finally they made back to the main town where torches lit the streets. He held in front of him the figure to see little Thomas. He did not know if he should thank him or scowl him for doing something so risky.

"Thomas! Why were you there at those hours? You could have been caught!"

"I wanted to help you." he replied as-a-matter-of-factly.

Legolas shook his head and hugged the boy tightly.

"Thank you my friend. You really do have a heart of gold. But now you must tell me where your house is so I can take you there."

"Alright. follow that street."

For a while they walked and talked. Thomas made Legolas promise him to bring Juliet to see him when she was free. Finally they saw a house that was the only one with a lit candle at these hours. A woman was looking anxiously out the window and she spotted Legolas with the boy in his arms.

"Thomas!" she yelled as she ran out the house.

She was a young woman in her mid twenties. She had fair long hair and a fair face which was riddled with concern and relief. She opened her arms when she reached the couple and Thomas jumped to her amrs.

"Oh Thomas for god's sake where were you? I have been worried sick!"

"I am sorry aunt Lucy, nut I was helping Legolas find his wife."

The woman looked at Legolas questionably.

"I am sorry my lady. Your little boy helped me find my wife who was taken by the soldiers. When we found them I told him to return home, and he had me believe he had for I saw him run off until my eyes could no longer follow him. I am truly sorry to have caused you such grief, but your boy is a true man. He was there for me when no one else was."

The woman chuckled.

"Yes, that does sound like little Thomas." she sighed with relief. "Thank you for bringing him back to me."

"It was my pleasure. I promised him to bring my wife for him to meet once she is free. I hope that is alright with you."

"Yes of course. Any time is fine. I hope you find a way to ransom her soon."

"Thank you. Good night my lady, and good night Thomas."

"Good night Legolas!" yelled little Thomas before Legolas disappeared.

The next day he was up early with his bow and his knives ready to go hunting. Since it was winter the animals had retired deeper into the forest. Legolas had a long and tiresome day, but eventually he had to return empty handed. The next day he did the same and again returned with nothing. Some of the men were out by the time he returned.

"No luck today either huh?" asked one of them.

Legolas sighed heavily.

"This was my last day. Tomorrow they leave. I know not what else I can do."

"Is there nothing you own that is valuable enough to sale?"

"I have nothing. Only our food and winter clothing."

The man sighed.

"I am sorry my friend." he said placing a hand on Legolas' shoulder.

With a nod, Legolas returned to his house. He was frustrated. He could not think of a way to save Juliet. He lay down on the floor and wrapped himself on the blankets. It was very cold. He could not sleep just thinking of ways to pay for her freedom. He had not had luck with hunting, he had no more money left, and no one could lend him any since they were all struggling after the collect as well. He only owned the food they had, the pots for cooking, the tub, the blankets, their clothing, his weapons…his weapons!

Legolas shot up and looked for his weapons beside him. He took the bow and examined it. It was a very high quality bow and so were his knives. For as long as they had been here, his weapons had been his treasures since he had carried them for so long through many long journeys and here they were the only things he had from his former home. But now all of that did not matter anymore. He jumped to his feet, grabbed the weapons and started running to the town.

"Legolas? Legolas!" called out one of the men who saw him from his window.

Another man came out of his house and saw Legolas running off.

"Has he gone mad?" he asked the other.

"It may seem so." replied the other.

Legolas was running like the wind. He wanted to free Juliet now. He could not wait until morning. It was a few hours for him to reach the houses where Juliet was being kept. He arrived there at the early hours of the morning. There were a few soldiers guarding the path and they heard him coming.

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Legolas stopped running.

"My name is Legolas. I am here to pay for my wife's freedom."

The soldiers had torches and they walked up to Legolas to have a better look at him.

"It is very early lad. Could you not wait until morning?" he asked in a teasing but not insulting tone.

"I cannot." he replied plainly.

The soldier laughed kindly.

"Well lad, I am afraid that Lord Charles is asleep, and he is the one who is in charge of the payments. But you are welcomed to stay until he awakes."

Legolas nodded and followed them. They offered him a place to sleep for a while but he refused. He stayed with them until the sun came up. He had conversed with the soldiers a little but he could not hold much of a conversation since he was only interested in getting Juliet out. The same soldiers were conversing when the one who had invited Legolas to stay looked up and smiled.

"Ah, looks like your wait has paid off lad. Here comes Lord Charles."

Lord Charles was coming to check if there had been any troubles that night. When he saw Legolas he recognized him immediately. He narrowed his eyes thinking that he had tried to sneak in during the night.

"Lord Charles, there is nothing to report from last night. But this young lad wants to pay for the freedom of his wife."

Lord Charles softened his face.

"And what have you to pay with?"

"This." said Legolas pulling out his bow from behind his back.

All of the men present were astounded by the beautiful weapon. Lord Charles ran a finger over it.

"Where did you get such a fine craftsmanship?"

"It was a gift from someone very dear to me. But I brought it to pay for Juliet's freedom."

"This is worth more than what it is asked for the collect. I shall have to pay you back. Here are thirty silver pieces. The rest of it's worth goes to the collect."

Legolas' mouth almost dropped at the amount of money he received for the bow. But he kept his neutral face and nodded. He took the money offered to him in a pouch.

"Come, we will get your wife now."

Legolas followed him eagerly. Charles opened the door to one of the houses and Legolas saw Juliet. All of the women looked at the door and when Juliet saw Legolas for a moment she feared he had been caught trying to sneak in again. But when Legolas smiled, she smiled back and ran to him. Legolas embraced her tightly.

"I told I would find a way." he teased in her ear.

"Thank you."

"I am sorry for all the troubles you went through." Lord Charles said to them. "I only do my orders and I am sorry it had to come to this. I can see you are a strong man, both physically and mentally. You would do good becoming a soldier."

"Thank you, but I rather not."

"I respect your decision. Have a nice day."

Legolas and Juliet left quickly. Legolas told Juliet everything from the moment she had been taken until now. He told her about Thomas and his promise and about the amount of money he got from the bow. Juliet almost punched him when he told her about the bow. She would have rather work for a month than have him lose such a precious item. But Legolas continued saying that nothing was more valuable to him than her. He took her to Thomas' house and little Thomas was there just playing with some friends. When he saw Legolas coming he ran to him.

"Legolas I knew you would come! See guys I told you he was real!"

The other little boys stared at Legolas and Thomas and some smiled.

"I told them about you but they did not believe me." said Thomas to Legolas who was still carrying him.

"Well they should, because I am sure that everything you told them was the truth."

"He said he took you to the soldiers where your wife was and he threw rocks at them at night so they would not catch you." said one of the little boys.

"Yes, all of that is real. Now Thomas, as promised here is my wife Juliet."

"Hello Thomas. It is an honor to meet such a brave little boy. Thank you for helping my husband so much."

Thomas giggled when Juliet kissed his cheek.

"Is your aunt home Thomas?" Legolas asked.

"Yes, come she is in the kitchen!"

Thomas took Legolas' hand and led him to the house.

"Aunt Lucy, Legolas is back."

Lucy looked at the little boy and smiled.

"Well hello Legolas. Is this your wife?"

"Yes, lady Lucy this is Juliet, Juliet this is lady Lucy."

"A pleasure." said both women.

"Lady Lucy, I wanted to give you and Thomas something for the help he gave me."

"Oh nonsense. There is no need of any payment Legolas."

"Consider it a gift from our part."

Legolas have her ten silver coins. Lucy's eyes widened.

"I-I cannot take this. This is too much." she said shaking her head.

"Please accept it. It will help you especially now that winter in here."

"I do not know what to say. Thank you."

"No, thank you and Thomas."

After a while Legolas and Juliet left.

"I am sure I do not need to ask you if you even bothered to check yourself after the soldiers gave you that beating." said Juliet as they walked through the town.

Legolas smiled. "You know me too well."

Juliet shook her head. "Come on, I know where to get something for those bruises."

Juliet went to the same store where she had bought the medicine for him when he had been sick. Later on they finally arrived to the village. Some of the men who had seen him run off the night before came running to them.

"Good God, Legolas you are alive and in once piece and you have Juliet!" said one of them.

"How did you pay them?" asked another.

"With my bow."

"Goodness we thought you had gone mad and went to break her out."

"Well we are glad that you are both back safe."

"Thank you." said Legolas before they both left to their house.

They got their jars and went to the river to get water. When they returned to their house they put some water to boil so they could take a warm bath.

"Come here." said Juliet pulling Legolas to their little room. "Take off your clothes so I can check your bruises."

Legolas knew better than to try to persuade her not to, so he obeyed. Juliet swallowed a gasp when she saw the many big, dark and swollen marks on his skin.

"I am going to kill you." she muttered.

Legolas smiled. "I do not know why you insist so much then."

Juliet shook her head.

"Lie down for me please."

Juliet brought the ointment she had bought for him. Gently she applied it over the dark bruises. Legolas chuckled and wriggled slightly when she rubbed it on one of the bruises in his belly. Juliet raised a questionable eyebrow at him.

"It tickles." He replies with a smile.

Juliet snorted and continued applying the ointment. Practically his whole chest and stomach area were covered with bruises.

"You are one feisty elf." she said as she was finishing with the last bruise.

"You mean one feisty human."

Juliet snorted heavily.

"You a man? No, Manwë might have taken away your elven gifts, but he could not change what you truly are inside. You are still as stubborn and hard headed as any elf."

"Right, and you are not stubborn or hard headed at all." he said sarcastically.

"You are lucky you are injured or else I would have beaten you."

"See what I mean?"

Juliet shook her head and lay down to rest her head on his shoulder.

That night the wind was cold and it had become hard for either of them to sleep. Juliet was laying over Legolas, her face buried in his neck. She gently caressed his face with her left hand while with her right she played with some strands or his hair. Legolas had a gentle but firm hold of her, rubbing circles with his finger on her back.

"Do not go to work tomorrow." Juliet said in a low voice.

"Tomorrow we start building the new farm house. Henry would kill me if I do not go."

"Henry was not the one who barely slept for three nights because he was looking for a way to get his wife back. At any rate he owes you for saving him from Arthur."

"He owes _us _you mean. You fought as well but he did not acknowledge you."

Juliet shrugged.

"I care not whether he acknowledges me or not. It is even best if he does not. Otherwise he would start asking a question about where I learned and where we come from that it is allowed for woman to learn to fight."

"So you still want me to stay tomorrow."

"Yes. We have the money from the bow, and one day will not take away that much of the payment."

"Alright my love. I will stay with you."

The next day they left early to the forest. Most of the trees were bare, but the pine trees were still green. They walked for hours getting deeper and deeper into the forest but they did not realize how deep they were going. They spotted a deer and her babe once, and some rabbits hopping around them. Animals did not seem to be afraid of them and they approached them freely.

For hours they walked until they reached a waterfall that was not yet frozen by the cold.

"Do you want to swim?" Legolas asked Juliet.

"Of course!"

Taking off most of their clothing they jumped into the water. They did not realize that they were not being affected by the cold water as long as they were in it. After a while they came out and got dressed.

"Should we be heading back now?" Juliet asked.

"You are right."

It was then that they realized they knew not where they were or how to go back.

"Wh…how, how did we get lost?" asked Juliet.

"I do not know. I did not realize we were walking so deeply into the forest."

"Neither did I. How do we go back now?"

"You will not go back." Said a voice from the air.

Legolas and Juliet looked to their surroundings and it was as if from thin air Manwë suddenly appeared before them.

"Manwë!" Juliet exclaimed.

"Yes Juliet, it is I."

"Why are you here?" Legolas asked.

Manwë smiled. "It is time for you to return to your home."

"You mean the test is over?" Legolas asked incredulously.

"Yes Prince Legolas. And now you can return and live peacefully."

Before either of them had the chance to speak, a bright light swallowed them.

**So there is one more chapter coming. Sorry for the long period before update but as I said before I was out of power for two days. So reviews are welcomed **


	6. Chapter 6: Little wonders

**This is a very short chapter but it was my favorite one to write. It reminds me of the times I went away for very long times and then came back. Thanks to all who have read and reviewed!**

**Disclaimer: **_**I AM Tolkien back from the death and now I am writing fanfictions that are not nearly good enough from what I originally wrote! **_**NOT! I am not Tolkien, am not dead nor a resuscitated soul, so I don't own anything to do with Lord of the Rings.**

Chapter 6: Little wonders

When the light dimmed Legolas and Juliet saw that they were back on their room in Gondor and it was nighttime.

"Is this…are back on the same day we left?" Juliet asked Legolas.

"Yes you are Princess Juliet. You are in the exact moment before I took you to Wilton." answered Manwë who had once again appeared out of nowhere.

"So that means no one ever knew we left?" Legolas asked.

"You are correct."

"And what about Henry and the people from Wilton?"

"Everything that ever happened there was set up by me. Those events now never occurred, nor will they occur in the future."

There was a silent pause where Juliet and Legolas took in what was happening. It suddenly seemed like it had all been just one long dream. The sudden change from one life to another was immense and hard to take in. In the middle of the silence there was a knock on the door.

"Legolas, Juliet is everything alright?"

It was Aragorn's voice and he sounded like he was about to burst through the door.

Legolas and Juliet exchanged looks and looked at Manwë who smiled.

"He and Arwen have gone through a test as I told you before. Therefore they can sense my presence as part of the residual grace from the experience. But they do not know what happened. They can only sense that someone is with you and that something has happened."

"Legolas! Juliet! If you do not answer I will kick down the door!"

"Estel!" exclaimed Arwen who was with him.

"What? They are not answering and that light is not normal."

Legolas and Juliet realized that Manwë was indeed producing much light that a simple oil lantern or torch could never create.

"The test has ended and you both passed. You are worthy of each other and I bless your union."

The couple exchanged happy and exited looks.

"Good night. Oh, and careful behind you." he said with a hint of mischief.

Not understanding Legolas and Juliet narrowed their eyes in question, when a loud crashing sound alerted them that Aragorn had broken down the door. They quickly turned to see him and Arwen who looked as shocked as they did for Aragorn's action.

They all stared at each other for a second in surprise and confusion. Then a smile snaked on Legolas' lips.

"Could you not just knock on the door like any other civil being would human?"

For a moment Aragorn could not find his words.

"You…the light. Where did it go?"

At this moment Juliet was smiling as well.

"Arwen you look a bit pale. Would you like to go get something to drink?"

Arwen recognized the tone on her voice and smiled.

"Yes I would very much like that."

Aragorn was stunned at the two women's behavior as they walked past him. Juliet looked back at Legolas and smiled.

"He is all yours love."

Legolas looked ready to complain but Juliet and Arwen made a hasty exit. Aragorn looked bewildered. He knew something big had happened but could not figure out what. He looked at Legolas who seemed to just be waiting for the human to give up and leave.

"Well?" Aragorn asked annoyed.

"Well what Estel?" asked Legolas trying to sound casual.

"You know very well what! What happened? Who was in here with you? Arwen and I could feel a strong presence in here. What was that light?"

Legolas sighed in defeat. _This is going to be a very long night._

"Come Estel, let us find a place where we will be comfortable and some wine. This is going to be a long night."

Aragorn finally calmed down a little now that he knew he was getting answers.

"Very well. I have a couple of bottles hidden in the common dining room."

Legolas smiled ruefully. "I am afraid that your wife has already found that hidden wine and shared it with Juliet yesterday."

"What? How do you know that?"

"Because I happened to be walking by when I heard Arwen talking about a wine that you have hidden and I saw her bring it out and share it with Juliet."

Aragorn sighed.

"Fine. We will sneak into the kitchen and get some from there."

"What if Randir finds us?" asked Legolas remembering one time when Aragorn had been caught sneaking into the kitchen at night for wine and Legolas had managed to hide before he too was caught. Turns out that Aragorn had done that before and one time at dawn Randir had been making his usual inspection at night when he found Aragorn half drunk in the kitchen and Legolas who had been with him had hid before he too was caught. Since then Aragorn was not allowed into his own kitchen after bed hours by Arwen's orders to Randir.

"Then this time you will not hide and face Randir with me."

"It is not Randir who worries me this time, but your wife. She can be terrifying if disobeyed." he said with a mischievous smile.

"All the more reason why you should stay and take share in the blame. She would go easier on me that way."

Legolas shook his head and laughed.

"Come my friend. It is a very long tale and I wish to be done with it by morning."

"Why did Juliet leave with Arwen?"

"I suppose it has to do with what we were discussing earlier today. Why can they not have a conversation with men around is a mystery we might never solve."

"Then let us not muse on that subject any longer and let us get to the real matter at hand."

"Of course, lead the way King Elessar." said Legolas with a teasing air.

Aragorn shook his head with a chuckle.

"Come, before we run into Randir. If we hurry we might still snuck out a few bottles."

Legolas laughed softly. He looked at the human before him. He had missed Aragorn greatly during that time of absence. Silently he followed him out to the kitchen and later on they sat together and he told him every little detail of the life he and Juliet had lived as a test that Manwë had given them.

oooOooo

A week later Legolas and Juliet were back in their home in the forest of Ithilien. They had missed their home with a stinging ache. Leaving their horses on the stable they went to take a walk on the woods. When the night caught up with them they simply found a comfortable spot to lie down. They were stargazing, Juliet with her head on Legolas' chest.

"It is strange is it not?" asked Juliet. "Just a few days ago we were somewhere in another time and place living as humans where none of this existed. And now we are back and everything looks like it was one big dream."

"I know. It still does not fit completely on my mind. Still, now that I think of it, I would never ask for it not to have happened."

"Really? Why is that?"

Legolas looked down at Juliet with a deep smile.

"Because I learned to love the way humans do. We elves love with our entire heart and soul yes, but we are used that we will have all eternity to be together, so there are little moments that might go by unappreciated. On the other hands, when I was human I could see time as humans do and I felt like someday this time might end, and so I learned that these little moments in time are what are most important. Just to be beside you, just to hold you, talk to you, all these things that might seem ordinary are the most important moments of my life. That, I think, is the lesson Manwë wanted me to learn from this."

Juliet's eyes were wide and her mouth half open. His words have been something that she never expected to hear. With a wide smile and a quick laugh she impulse herself to reach Legolas' lips in a passionate kiss. The stars sang that night as the couple loved each other in the deepest of ways. From the stars Manwë observed them and smiled.

"Well done Legolas, well done."

The End

**Well, this is the end of this sequel. I am trying to write a small story with Legolas and Juliet's daughter from my other story and someday I will post it. Thanks a ton to all who read and reviewed. Love you guys!**

**Here is a song since I want to end all my fics with a song as an end credits thing and the song always has something to do with the fic. Well this song has to do with everything the test they went through was about. As Legolas said, it is the little moments that matter.**

Let it go, let it roll right off your shoulder

Don't you know the hardest part is over?

Let it in, let your clarity define you

In the end we will only just remember how it feels

Our lives are made in these small hours

These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours

These small hours still remain

Let it slide, let your troubles fall behind you

Let it shine until you feel it all around you

And I don't mind if it's me you need to turn to

We'll get by, it's the heart that really matters in the end  
Our lives are made in these small hours

These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate

Time falls away but these small hours

These small hours still remain  
All of my regret will wash away somehow

But I cannot forget the way I feel right nowIn these small hours

These little wonders, these twists and turns of fate

Yeah, these twists and turns of fate!

Time falls away, yeah but these small hours

And these small hours still remain, yeah

Ooh they still remain

These little wonders, oh these twists and turns of fate  
Time falls away but these small hours

These little wonders still remain

ROB THOMAS - LITTLE WONDERS


End file.
